McCown says Jones Act waiver hasn’t reduced gas prices but made profits for profiteers
By Stas Margaronis, Ports & Maritime Editor, American Journal of Transportation. John McCown, maritime analyst and publisher of the McCown Report, says the Trump administration’s stated goal of instituting a waiver of the Jones Act to allow foreign flag carriers to transport petroleum products between US ports so as to reduce high gasoline prices has […]
Emergency Energy Waiver Doesn’t Match the Market
By George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom. America needs a strong oil and gas industry. We also need a strong American maritime industry. Those two propositions should not be in conflict. In a serious nation, energy security and maritime security reinforce each other. Refineries keep our economy moving, our farms productive, our military supplied, and […]
Refiners, Not Consumers, Are Biggest Winners From Jones Act Waiver, OSG CEO Says
By Mike Schuler, gCaptain. The Trump administration’s emergency Jones Act waiver has delivered a windfall to U.S. refiners while doing little to lower fuel prices for consumers, according to a new analysis from the head of one of the country’s largest U.S.-flag tanker operators. In a commentary released this week, Overseas Shipholding Group CEO Sam […]
Opinion: The Case for the Jones Act: American Commerce, Workers, Security
By James L. Henry, Chairman, Transportation Institute. For more than 130 days, President Trump has waived the Jones Act, letting foreign ships carry cargo between American ports. Supporters of the waiver call this free trade. It isn’t. Moving oil from Texas to New Jersey is domestic commerce, not trade, any more than a UPS truck […]
A ship linked to China’s military sailed from Baltimore. That should worry US workers
By Chris Westbrook, Vice President, Gulf Coast, at the Seafarers International Union. Last month, a ship docked at a refinery in the small town of Reserve, Louisiana, roughly a half-hour drive from New Orleans. The vessel departed from Baltimore, and sailed down the Atlantic coast, loaded with asphalt and other manufacturing material. On its face, nothing about this […]
Shipping Waiver Subsidizes Beijing’s Fleet and Weakens Shipyards
By Michael D. Purzycki. June 23, 2026 On March 18, less than three weeks into the conflict with Iran, President Trump signed a waiver of the Jones Act. Originally meant to last 60 days, it was later extended an additional 90 days. While this waiver was officially intended to lower gasoline prices that rose when […]
Jones Act Waiver Has Proven Why Repeal Is the Wrong Answer
By Jennifer Carpenter, President of the American Maritime Partnership. For years, critics of the Jones Act have made the same promises: repeal the law, allow foreign vessels into domestic trade, and American consumers will see lower prices and stronger supply chains. Now the real-world test case is underway, and it is failing to make a […]
Second U.S. Gulf oil & gas lease sale generates $47 million
By Alton Wallace, Energy Industry Reporter. (The Center Square) – The second auction of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of America since President Donald Trump’s election in 2024 drew almost $47 million in high bids, with 98% of the activity in offshore areas deeper than 800 meters, according to sales results released by […]
Gas Prices and the Jones Act: A Market Reality Check
By Sam Norton, CEO of Overseas Shipholding Group. Gasoline prices in the US are on the rise and the Trump Administration is “looking at all options” to reverse this inconvenient collateral effect of war in the Middle East. A reflexive impulse of those seeking easy answers to a complicated problem is to boldly suggest that […]
WWII Merchant Mariners Recognized Nationwide During Veterans Day 2025
By VOICES Staff. Across the United States this Veterans Day, Americans honored the extraordinary service and sacrifice of our warfighters—especially the World War II merchant mariners who helped win the war at sea. From solemn national ceremonies in Washington, DC, to parade routes in New York City, to hometown remembrances, the 2025 commemorations underscored a […]